The present disclosure relates generally to nuclear pharmacy generators and tools for use therewith.
Nuclear medicine uses radioactive material for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes by injecting a patient with a dose of the radioactive material, which concentrates in certain organs or biological regions of the patient. Radioactive materials typically used for nuclear medicine include Technetium-99m, Indium-111, and Thallium-201 among others. Some chemical forms of radioactive materials naturally concentrate in a particular tissue, for example, radioiodine (I-131) concentrates in the thyroid. Radioactive materials are often combined with a tagging or organ-seeking agent, which targets the radioactive material for the desired organ or biologic region of the patient. These radioactive materials alone or in combination with a tagging agent are typically referred to as radiopharmaceuticals in the field of nuclear medicine. At relatively low doses of radiation from a radiopharmaceutical, a radiation imaging system (e.g., a gamma camera) may be utilized to provide an image of the organ or biological region in which the radiopharmaceutical localizes. Irregularities in the image are often indicative of a pathology, such as cancer. Higher doses of a radiopharmaceutical may be used to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation directly to the pathologic tissue, such as cancer cells.
A variety of systems are used to generate, enclose, transport, dispense, and administer radiopharmaceuticals. One such system includes a nuclear pharmacy generator, including an elution column, and an input connector (e.g., an input needle) and an output connector (e.g., an output needle) in fluid communication with the elution column. Typically, a radiopharmacist or technician fluidly connects an eluant vial (e.g., a vial containing saline) to the input connector and fluidly connects an empty elution vial (e.g., a vial having at least a partial internal vacuum) to the output connector. The vacuum in the empty elution vial draws the eluant (e.g., saline) from the eluant vial through the elution column, and into the elution vial. The saline elutes radioisotopes as its flows through the elution column so that radioisotope-containing saline fills the elution vial. The elution vial is typically housed in its own radiation shielding container, sometimes referred to as pharmacy shield or an elution shield.
Due to the use of radioactive materials, the nuclear pharmacy generator requires a radiation shield to protect the technician operating the generator. Known generator radiation shields may be comprised of a plurality of stackable painted rings that surround the generator. These rings may be comprised of any material known to block harmful radiation, such as lead. The rings may sustain considerable damage during loading and unloading of the generator and during daily elution. Damage to the radiation shielding rings may cause the painted surface to chip or crack. Moreover, during the required cleaning of the rings, a disinfecting liquid may seep into the seams between the individual rings that are stacked to form the radiation shield. After the cleaning process is completed, the liquid may leak from the seams and result in an improperly cleaned work area.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.